increase levo just before hols?

[CinnamonNutmeg]

Hi

I posted about initial docs advice and have been on 50mcg levo having both mercury pharma and now accord brands.

Repeat blood tests in Dec showed my TSH had gone done but still way above range and T4 has crawled into range. Five weeks later (i'm quite cross not to have managed to talk to anyone before now) saw Doc - well two trainee physician associates who v quickly fetched doc - who suggested leaving me on 50 as the TSH had fallen quickly to see if it continues to fall. He and I agreed to increase it to 75mcg and retest in 2 or 3 months.

My pharmacy only had Teva 25mcg. I've read on here about some people not reacting well to that and also not to mix brands. My question is really: I'm off to India tomorrow for two weeks, would it be better to delay adding Teva to the 50mcg Accord until I return as i don't want an upset stomach in an already strange environment? I'm not feeling unwell, just fatigued so don't want to get worse but maybe it'd make me feel better and more energised.

Advice v gratefully received!

Thanks

[HealthStarDust]

Often with dose increases, things get worse before better or the opposite way round. Or, get worse and stay worse until the next dose increase.

If you are keen on the stability, then wait until after the holiday.

[Beads]

My adverse reaction to Teva is a splitting headache which doesn’t go with paracetamol/ibuprofen. No tummy issues, just pain. Obviously you’d probably rather not have a headache while away.

If you want to start taking the higher dose you could start with one and a half of your 50ug tablets, that gets you to 75 without a brand change. If you do well on the higher dose then add in 25ug of Teva when you get back, when you start running low on the 50s, if you can’t order the repeat prescription a week or so early, use 3 x 25ug Teva to tide you over. If you have any adverse reactions to the Teva ring the doc, explain and get them to up the number of 50s you get at each prescription and continue taking one and a half.

[Maddyisla]

hello, I would stick with Accord if you can, I had really bad headaches and sickness with Teva on day 2 of taking it. I alternate between Accord 75ug/50ug, I use a pill cutter from Amazon to chop my 50ug pill in half thereby getting 75ug via Accord. I hope that makes sense and helps x

[CinnamonNutmeg in reply to Maddyisla]

Thanks. I’ve decided to stick with 50mcg while I’m away and then start with the Teva 25mcg and see what happens! I’ll be on the look out for any reaction but I’m not sure how easily my pharmacist can get hold of different brands.

I’ll report back…

[KC-K]

I have been on levothyroxine for 25 years. I was diagnosed when I lived in France and now that I live in the UK am continuing with my French treatment. Initially I was prescribed 100mg a day, it very soon was 150mg and then 200mg per day. Initially, my French doctor didn’t want to test me for hypothyroidism, he was of the opinion, only depressed people had it. I had never been depressed, so it shows that is not true at all. I had an echo-gramme after my blood tests showed I had hypothyroidism, they said my thyroid was a dead black mass and I probably had hypothyroidism for over ten years before I was diagnosed . My new doctor wants to reduce my dosage to 150mg per day as a trial but is leaving it up to me to decide if I agree with him. The main thing is to get the correct dose for you, I seem to get a different brand of levothyroxine every month, but it’s important to take it about the same time every day. Eat sensibly, preferably fresh food you have cooked yourself, exercise, swimming is excellent. Take up a hobby you really enjoy for some me time. I literally ran all over the world with hypothyroidism, it did not define me or what I was capable of. Don’t let it define you , you just have to get the dose right, take your pills and live your life to the full. I am in my seventies, I have had a great life, hypothyroidism is such an insignificant illness, life is short, don’t ever let it stop you doing anything you want to do. I really hope you get this sorted out and have a very happy life.